1. Field
Although not so limited in its utility or scope, embodiments of the present invention are particularly well suited for implementation in the spray-gun portions of pressure washers and paint sprayers.
2. Brief Description of an Illustrative Environment and Related Art
Sprayers and associated nozzles are configured for various purposes including the application of “atomized” paint and the washing of objects with water expelled at high velocity. Apparatus of the latter type are commonly referred to as “pressure washers.” Pressure washers may be used to wash autos, homes and other objects or structures. There are occasions when the user of a typical pressure washer cannot position the nozzle at an angle sufficient for spraying the desired target. For instance, the user may wish to spray salt and sand out from under the wheel wells of an automobile to prevent corrosion. However, the handle or “wand” portion of a typical pressure washer is too large for the user to spray under the wheel well in the area directly above and to the outside of the automobile's tire. In other circumstances in which it is possible to achieve a desired spray angle, it may be dangerous to do so. For instance, when power washing a house, a user might ascend a ladder to spray around and above second-story windows and under eaves. When spraying such areas, the user may need to hold the handle and nozzle over his head. Moreover, in order to achieve an advantageous spray angle at which water sprayed under pressure strikes the target areas of the structure orthogonally thereto, the user may need to lean out and away from the structure while on the ladder. At best, such positions are uncomfortable, but the discomfort is frequently exceeded by the associated danger of losing one's balance and falling.
At least one spraying device is known to allow a user to adjust the spray orientation of a pivotable spray nozzle located at the distal end of an extension pole. More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 6,976,644 to Troudt (hereinafter, the “644 patent” or “Troudt patent”) is drawn to an “Extension Pole with Swivel Spray Nozzle.” As explained in the abstract of the Troudt patent, “[a] spray nozzle mounts to an extension pole end in a swivel joint. A swivel nozzle base connects to the pole and a manifold swivelly couples the base to a swivel nozzle head such that pressurized fluid passing through the pole passes into the base, through the manifold, into the head and then out or an orifice in the head through a spray tip attached to the head at the orifice . . . . To effect head rotation . . . , a lever is attached to the head. To move the lever on the distal end of an extension pole, (the lever) is connected to a rod that runs between the lever and an actuator on the pole. Typically, the actuator comprises a grip around the pole that slides along the pole when exercised (sic) by an operator. A spray gun is normally attached to the pole proximal end with a trigger that regulates high-pressure fluid into the pole.” In addition to versions in which the actuator is a grip disposed around the pole that can be linearly reciprocated in order to impart rotation of the distal nozzle, the Troudt patent does describe a version in which the actuator is a pivoting handle grip.
While implementations of the Troudt device may alleviate accessibility and angling difficulties previously described, sprayers fabricated in general accordance with the teachings of the '644 patent have heretofore exhibited undesired nozzle rotation. More specifically, when a user moves the proximate actuator to rotate the nozzle to a desired angle, and then squeezes the trigger in order to spray pressurized fluid, the nozzle can move, thereby changing the original spray orientation. Another difficulty encountered by users of some embodiments constructed in accordance with the '644 patent is that, while a user might attempt to hold the slidable or rotatable actuator in a fixed position in order to resist nozzle rotation, this can prove difficult for some users when the trigger is squeezed and fluid is permitted to flow. More specifically, for example, in a version in which the actuator is also a handgrip, a user, in an attempt to counter recoil and thrust once pressurized fluid is flowing, unintentionally imparts movement to the actuator and, thereby, an undesired change in the spray angle of the rotatable nozzle.
Accordingly, in association with a sprayer having a remotely rotatable spray nozzle, including a version constructed in accordance with the teachings of Troudt, there exists a need for apparatus that counter undesired changes in the orientation of the spray nozzle, and that furthermore allow a user to selectively set the nozzle in each of a predetermined plurality of predefined angular positions.